Hans Peter Sumi

Hans Peter Sumi – Born: Oct 3, 1675 in Lauenen, Canton Bern, Switzerland, Died: 1750 in PA., USA. Married Maria Magdalena (Haldy) in 1705 (Born: 1685 in Alsace (now France) or Palatinate, Switzerland, Died: 1761 in PA., USA.).

Son Of: Casper Sumi

Hans Peter Sumi was the 8^th son of Casper Sumi from Saanen Switzerland. Tradition has it that Hans Peter Sumi and family exiled from Canton Aargau Switzerland and migrated to Offenburg in Middle Baden, then to Alsace where Peter was a herdsman near Rexinggen. Married in Lutheran Church. No record of when he converted to Anabaptist, or Menonite, possibly while in Holland. In their travels and migrations they could aquire little or no property and apparently had to work at whatever the nobility would provide.

All 8 of Hans Peter Sumi’s children were born in Alsace. When Alsace was ceded to France, they supposedly migrated to Holland, and then to America in 1732 with wife Maria and their 6 children. (Hans Peter's youngest 2 children died in Alsace prior to their migration to America. It is unknown why.) He was the earliest known minister in the Groffdale Mennonite Church in Earl Township, Lancaster County, PA., around 1735.

Sidenote: Information from Steven Summy on Seattle WA in 1978 (decendent of Hans Peter’s second child, Hans Jacob Sumi) states that a captain’s list from the brigatine "Richard And Elizabeth" dated Sept 21, 1732 lists the passengers "Hance Peter Sowmy" (age 59), his wife Maria Magdalena (58), and their children, Maria Magdalena (24), Hance Jacob (22), Hans Peter Jr (20), Otto Fredrick (15), Hance Michel (10), Johannes (9). The same list on another page, apparently by another hand, lists the same names with the spelling Somey. The family is reported to have originated from "Sumiswald" (Summy’s Woods) Switserland, near Canton Bern.

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